Wasteland: Purification
by TX17
Summary: Imagine: Growing up your entire life in a Vault. Then, your world is ripped from you, and you must go out into the hellhole that is the wastes. For Liam Walker, this is reality. Sequel to Life In The Vault. Counterpart to Restoration.
1. Escape!

_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any part of the Fallout series. Seriously, I don't._

_Now, perhaps you've heard of that theory: For every choice you make, a universe exists for the choice you didn't make? "Multiverse", I think it's called. Well, guess what?_

_**NOTE**__: This one of two sequels to __**Wasteland: Life in the Vault**__, and the counterpart to __**Wasteland: Restoration**__._

_Yes, this story was originally titled something else, but now it's Purification. So, yaaaay._

_Anyway: please read and review._

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><p>The Overseer glared at Liam, a mix of fear and anger in both of their eyes. He wasn't sure if Liam would actually do it. Liam was never really a violent man before, but what he had just experienced may have been all it took to drive him over the edge. This may very well be the end of the road for him.<p>

Liam wasn't sure if he could do it either. Heaven knows how badly he wanted to. He had this wicked man's life in his hands; he could make the Overseer pay for everything he'd done. It would be easy. He was just a single movement away from getting justice for Jonas, himself, and everyone else the Overseer had wronged. "I should kill you," he said, "Right now. For everything you've done."

"Everything _I've_ done?" the Overseer asked, "You mean protecting the Vault? Keeping us alive? Trying to prevent days like today? I've done nothing wrong, Walker."

"What? How can-"

"How can I say that? Because it's true! Who violated Vault policy, completely aware of the consequences? Your father! Who opened the door, letting the radroaches in? Your father! So tell me, Walker, who is really to blame? Me? Or your damned fool of a father?"

Liam had had enough. He forced the barrel of his pistol further into the Overseer's neck.

The Overseer prepared himself for death, and closed his eyes. It didn't come. He felt the barrel of Liam's gun move away from his neck. He opened his eyes, to see what was going on. Liam let go of his collar, and he fell back a bit.

"I… I…," Liam tried to speak, but he couldn't.

"You _what_, Walker?" the Overseer asked, "Hmm? What is it? You can't accept the truth?"

Liam turned his face away from the Overseer. Tears fell from his eyes. He didn't want to accept it. This was indeed his father's fault, wasn't it? He could go after his father and ask why, couldn't he? It would be dangerous, yes. But not much more than staying here, with everyone against him because of his father's actions.

"There's… there's nothing left for me here," Liam said, he then pointed his gun back to the Overseer, "What's the password to the Vault door?"

"What?" the Overseer asked, refusing to believe he was wrong, "You don't already know? You're not very good at planning ahead, are you, boy?"

"I didn't plan any of this! Now, **the code**."

"Why would I tell you?"

Liam walked over to the injured man, and put his foot on the Overseer's wounded knee. He then pressed down, causing the Overseer to feel an intense pain. He screamed, but refused to tell.

Amata again tried struggling free, when she heard her father scream. What was Liam doing?  
>Wilkins was, again, irritated, and tried tightening his grip further, but was already at his peak. He took his left arm, and drew his pistol. He held it to Amata's head, and whispered, "Move one more time, and I'll fuckin' kill you."<p>

"I'm not going to tell you a thing, Walker!" the Overseer yelled.

"Don't make me hurt you further," Walker told the Overseer, and proceeded to step on his knee again; this time stomping, as to cause more pain. The Overseer screamed again. "Tell me the code. **Now**."

"Amata…!" the Overseer said in pain, nearly a whisper, "…the code is Amata…"

Liam flinched at the name. He tried moving it to the back of his mind, and turned to leave.

"I WILL be back, Overseer," Liam stated as he left, "I'm going to find my father, and he will answer to the Vault for what he's caused."

As Liam reached for the switch to open the door, it unlocked itself and Officer Mack and Chief Hannon rushed in.

"Overseer, we heard… screaming…" Mack began, and trailed off as he saw Liam. Mack and Hannon both reached for their weapons. Liam punched Mack in the face as hard as he could, and knocked him out. Hannon, however, had enough time to draw his weapon, but not enough to shoot. He aimed it right at Liam, who knocked it away and grabbed Hannon by the throat. Liam turned Hannon around and held him hostage.

"What the—Let me go!" Hannon yelled out.

Liam hit Hannon on the back of the head and began walking. "Move," he ordered. Hopefully, this would stop any security he encountered from shooting.

Liam had to "encourage" Hannon a little more to get him to move, but he got going. He shot one last look at the Overseer, and went on his way.

* * *

><p>"You're not gonna get away with this, Walker," Hannon told Liam.<p>

"I don't plan on it," Liam replied, "I'll answer for what I'm doing. Just not yet."

"What?" Hannon asked, "What do you mean 'not yet'? You can't stay and expect to put off your punishment!"

"I know that."

"Then how do you-" Hannon stopped himself. He understood. "You're crazy."

Liam didn't reply. He continued down the hall, but stopped as he heard voices coming from around the corner.

"Gomez!" called one of the voices, "I think I heard something."

Liam held his hand over Hannon's mouth and whispered, "Make a sound, and I'll hurt you."

Officer Kendall came around the corner and saw Liam holding Hannon hostage. Kendall drew his gun and pointed it towards the two. "Don't move!" he ordered, "GOMEZ! I FOUND HIM!" He turned back to Liam, "Let the Chief go!"

Liam didn't comply. He just glared at Kendall.

"What is it?" Gomez ran up to Kendall. "Who did you… Liam? You're still here?"

Gomez was unsure of what to do. The Walkers were friends of his, and Liam had saved Freddie's life.

"You're outnumbered, kid," Kendall told Liam, "Let the Chief go and come quietly."

"I can't do that," Liam answered, "I need to find my dad. Bring him back here."

"Drop the gun and let the Chief go. **Now**," Kendall ordered.

"Dmm wht hm smms!" Hannon said, his speech muffled against Liam's hand.

Suddenly, Kendall fell to the floor. Gomez had hit him over the back of the head with his baton. Liam looked up in surprise.

"Wha…?" Liam started.

"We're square now, Liam," Gomez said, "You get going."

"What the hell?" Chief Hannon broke free, "You bastard! You think you won't be punished for helping him? You think me or Kendall will keep quiet about this?"

Liam hit Hannon on the back of head. "Shut up," he ordered. "Thank you, Officer Gomez."

Gomez merely nodded. Liam ordered Hannon to keep moving. The exit was just a room away.

Liam came to the door and opened it. He was about to let Hannon go when he saw two more guards in front of the door. O'Brien and Wolfe, two of the Vault's more… violent guards.

They both raised their weapons and tried getting a lock on Liam, but he managed to hide most of himself behind Hannon.

"It's over, Walker," Hannon stated, "You got nowhere to run to. Just give up."

"I don't think so," Liam said, "I'm not going to let you stop me. Not now. You two clear out of here, before I start shooting."

"Ooh, resisting arrest," O'Brien chuckled, "Makes things fun."

"Keep in mind," Liam told them, "I'm a better shot than both of you."

"Keep in mind," Hannon replied, "that there's two of you, and one of him!"

Liam put the barrel of his pistol on Hannon's temple. He tried bluffing his way out, "Call them off."

"What?"

"Call them off! You're their boss, make them leave!"

"Are you an idiot? I'm not gonna- AAAGH!" Hannon screamed as Liam fired the pistol right next to his ear.

"Call. Them. Off."

"Wolfe. O'Brien. Get out of here."

O'Brien groaned in disappointment, but followed Wolfe out the door. Liam locked it behind them. He threw Hannon to the ground and told him not to move. He walked over to the control panel for the Vault door. He typed in the password. "Amata." Once again, he flinched at the name. The pain was still too fresh. She hadn't even been gone a day.

"You're going to die out there," Hannon said, "Can't say I'll shed any tears for you."

Liam ignored the unarmed man. He confirmed the code, and the giant, steel, cog-shaped door began to pull back and roll open. The alarms began blaring once more. As soon as there was an opening just large enough for him to squeeze through, he left. He began walking through a dirty and rocky tunnel, heading for a wooden door up ahead. As he made his way towards it, he heard gears grinding, and door rolling back in place.

He tried to focus on his current task. He couldn't go back now. Not yet. He had to find his father. He had to find out why. He opened the door, and saw a blinding flash. A light brighter than anything he had ever seen before. He staggered back, unable to see.

He sat for a while, slowly opening his eyes, letting them adjust. He saw a horrible sight. A collapsed overpass, wrecked buildings, dust covering everything; dead trees and wrecked vehicles. No visible life as far as the eye could see. This was the outside. This was the wasteland.

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><p><em>Boy, I sure do abuse Officer Mack's face.<em>

_And Liam seems to have turned a lot more… villainous than I wanted him to. Couldn't exactly make this chapter work without it, though._

_Sorry it took so long to get this to you all. I was suffering from writer's block, and then my laptop crashed over Thanksgiving Break, so I lost it all. I was pretty close to forgetting this whole thing. But, I did it. Here it is. I really wish I could've given you guys more, but I'm not that capable of a person._

_Also, Purification shouldn't have too many problems. Its counterpart, Restoration, might be slower to update._

_So, what did you think? Was it good? How so? Was it bad? How so? _


	2. Wild Raider Appeared!

_Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape, or form, own the rights to the Fallout series.  
>…Does that disclaimer make sense?<em>

_Please review. Thank you._

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><p>So, this was it. Liam could certainly see why it was called a wasteland. It was desolate and deserted. Unless you counted the collapsing buildings, not a single sign of life or civilization as far as he could see. He had a sudden urge to turn back. He wanted to go back to the Vault. Could he have just made a huge mistake? He retreated back to the cave. He couldn't go back to the Vault, though. Everyone was hunting him. And… she wouldn't be there.<p>

Liam couldn't stop. He couldn't turn back, not now; especially not now. He had to press forward. He had to find his father. He had to find out why. As sad and lost as he was, the time for rest was not now. He prepared himself once more. He readied his pistol and opened up the wooden door to the wastes.

"Dammit!" Liam said to himself, "How'd I forget the light?" He shielded his eyes, and slowly adjusted. Again. Once he could see well enough, he began walking. He stepped onto the edge of the overlook in front of the Vault, and the unstable rock broke off with him on it.

"Whoa!" he yelled as he slid down the cliff. He hit the bottom and tumbled into a car. "Ow!" he cried out.

* * *

><p>"Ow!" The sound of something hitting metal caught the ears of a group nearby.<p>

"You hear that?" asked one man.

"Yeah, I heard it," answered the second. He turned to the others in the group, "Kris! You and Jay go check it out!"

"You go check it out!" Kris yelled back, finding a blue needle and grey tube, wrapped in a leather strap, "I'm busy!"

The needle was shot out of her hand. "Do what I fuckin' said, ya bitch!" shouted the man.

Kris grumbled and grabbed her rifle. She and Jay went off to take a look at whatever had caused that noise, while the other man stayed behind, reaching for what was left of the needle he shot out of Kris' hand.

"Fuckin' asshole!" Kris began complaining as soon as she was sure she was out of earshot of the boss. "I finally find some Psycho, and what does he do? He shoots it outta my hand and makes me go away. He's probably grabbin' what's left of that Psycho right now!"

"Quit bitchin', Kris," Jay responded, "All you ever- HEY! " He lifted his rifle and shot at something moving by the cars. "We got us a live one over here!"

* * *

><p>Liam began to stand up.<p>

"HEY!" called Jay's voice. Then, a bullet whizzed by Liam's head.

"WHOA!" He yelled out as he dove to the ground.

"We got us a live on over here!" Jay called again.

Liam hid behind the car a while longer. He wasn't sure what was going on. Why were these people shooting at him?

"Come on out!" shouted Kris.

The bullets stopped. Liam took this chance. He drew his pistol, fired twice, and started running into the ruined houses, hiding behind the remains of walls.

"FUCK!" Kris screamed, "Little prick hit my arm!"

"Suck it up," Jay ordered.

Liam heard footsteps approaching, he put his finger on the trigger and readied himself. He stood up and fired, hitting the man in the face, killing him. Liam made another dash, trying to get to another source of cover.

Kris backed up. "BOSS!" she called, "BOSS! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE! I NEED SOME HELP, DAMMIT!" She called for help a few more times, keeping her rifle focused on Liam's hiding spot.

Shots rang out, and Kris fell to the floor. Her boss walked up and kept filling the body with bullets. "Bitch," he sneered, "don't fucking yell at me!"

Liam poked his head up and saw what was going on. The dirty man in the spiked mohawk was still pumping lead into the girl's corpse. The man looked up and locked eyes with Liam. He gave a large smile, revealing his crooked, grey teeth. He lifted his weapon and began firing. Liam tried dodging. He fired a few shots, while trying to run, but was hit in the arm. He shouted in pain and fell, grabbing his arm, dropping his weapon. The man laughed and fired a few shots into the air. The rifle began clicking.

"Aw… I'm outta ammo," he whined, tossing the rifle, "Oh well." He drew a knife and approached Liam. He noticed the Vault suit, and smiled, "I'm gonna gut you, caveman. And I'm gonna do it slowly. I'm gonna enjoy it."

The man continued to walks towards Liam, twirling his knife. Liam tried scooting away, but couldn't make it away. He noticed his pistol off to his side. _"There it is!"_ Liam thought to himself. He quickly reached for it and pointed it at his attacker. The smile faded from the man's face, and shifted to worry.

Liam pulled the trigger.

_Click_

Out of ammo. This was NOT a good thing.

The man's smile returned, twice as big as before. "You really thought ya had a chance, didn't ya?" he laughed, "Well, that's life for ya. A bitch to the end." The man slammed his heel onto Liam's chest, and crouched, raising his knife, preparing to stab.

Liam's heart began racing. Was this the end? He had just left the Vault. He hadn't gotten anywhere close to finding his father. He closed his eyes, and braced himself for the first stab.

_BANG_

Blood splattered onto Liam's face. The man's knife fell to the floor, and so did the rest of him. Liam opened his eyes and looked up. He saw a woman in a brown coat, with somewhat short, blonde hair; a smoking pistol in her hand. Then, everything went black.

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><p><em>Well, this took me long enough.<em>

_Sorry it took forever to get to you, and sorry it was so short for such a long gap. I was busy with college stuff, then travel, then Christmas stuff. Fortunately, the only Christmas thing left is Christmas itself._

_Wasn't sure I needed to give the Raiders names and personalities, but whatever. They're dead now, who cares?_

_Anyway, I'll try to update AT LEAST once more before I have to travel back to college. Then, I'll do what I can._

_So, please review. Thank you._

_Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays. And a Happy New Year._


	3. Death, Caps, and Dreams

_I do not own the rights to any part of the Fallout series._

_Please review. Thank you._

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><p>"Liam!" called Amata, "Liam!"<p>

"Amata…?" Liam said weakly.

"Liam!"

"Amata!" Liam sat up in his bed. He got up and looked around the room. "I'm… back?"

"Liam!"

"Amata! She… she's alive!"

"Liam, help!"

"AMATA!" Liam shouted, dashing out the door upon hearing the second word. He shoved everything else to the back of his mind. Right now, his sole concern was Amata's safety. He ran through the metal corridors, passing room after room. His footsteps echoed off the walls.

"Liam!"

"I'm coming!" Liam ran faster, down the empty halls. But his pace gradually decreased as he progressed. Where was everyone else? Why was no one running towards the cry for help? Was was no one there te even hear it? The vault seemed to be deserted. "Where is everybody?" Liam asked himself, but before he could continue his train of thought, Amata called again.

"LIAM!"

Forgetting all about it, he ran faster. Amata needed him, and that was all that mattered right now. He passed by room after room, making his way towards Amata's cries. He ran and ran, finally arriving. The vault clinic. He opened the door, and stepped inside.

Everything was overturned and broken. Mats lined the floor. Whatever mats weren't emptied were filled with the dead. He recognized everyone whose body he saw.

Officer Gomez.

Susie Kendall.

Mr. Brotch.

Stanley Armstrong.

Butch.

He stepped back, scared. What the hell happened to everyone? This wasn't right.

"Liam!" Amata's voice called from James' office, just inside the clinic.

He stepped back in, the smell of death strong. He pushed and moved the overturned cabinets and chairs out of his way, stepping into his father's office. On the patient bed lie Amata. Liam felt weak. He felt sick. Was she dead? She couldn't be. He slowly stepped towards her. She was unmoving. He couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.

"A… Amata?" he stepped further towards her.

Her eyes opened instantly, and her hand grasped his arm. She turned her face towards him, and asked, "Why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?"

"No, I-"

"Why did you let me die?"

Liam felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart.

"Why did you get me killed?"

"No!" he shouted, "I… I didn't…"

Then, Amata's body began decaying right in front of him. The skin turned to dust and slid off her bones. Then the rest of her fell apart.

"No… No, Amata, no!"

* * *

><p>"No, Amata, no!" Liam sat up, "NO!"<p>

He was sweating, and out of breath. He turned his head to the side, and saw someone. A woman in a brown coat, with somewhat short, blonde hair. The woman he saw before passing out.

"Morning," she said, "Sounds like you were having a bad dream."

Liam said nothing. He just looked at her, still panting.

"Can you move your arm?"

"What?" Liam asked.

"Can you move your arm?"

Liam looked at his arm, and saw his shoulder was bandaged up.

"What did you…"

"Whoa," the woman stopped him, "Don't you pin anything on me. I fixed you up! I coulda left you to die."

"Sorry," Liam looked down.

"Well?" she asked again, "Can you move your arm or not?"

Liam tried moving his arm.

"Aagh!" he shouted as a sharp pain spread out from his shoulder. He doubled over in his bed, trying to clutch at his shoulder.

"Easy, now," the woman stood up and injected him with a needle in the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Man up, ya baby. It's just Med-X. Use a Psycho needle, THEN talk to me about pain."

"What did you just…," Liam began, but soon felt the pain dull and disappear.

"That'll be twenty caps."

"…What?" Liam asked.

"Twenty caps. For the Med-X. Stuff isn't cheap."

"I… caps?"

The blonde's jaw nearly dropped. "You're kidding," she said, "What, did you come out of a vault?"

Liam merely looked at the woman, not amused. She turned her head to the left and saw the vault suit tossed onto a table.

"Oh, right," the woman scratched the back of her head, "Well… Caps are… well, they're money. And…," She was obviously struggling to explain this to him. "…And, well… They told you what money was in the vault, right?"

Liam simply nodded.

"Well, you can't do anything without it," the woman scratched her head again, "I'm guessing you don't have any caps, then."

Liam looked down.

"Well," the woman began, "uh… What brings you out of the vault, anyway? Can't imagine someone even wanting to leave, let alone actually doing it."

"I'm looking for someone," Liam responded, "A middle-aged man. Greyish hair and beard, wearing a vault suit as well."

"Can't say I've seen him. Don't see much besides roaches and raiders out here in Springvale. If he did leave the vault, the closest town is Megaton. It's that way," the woman said, pointing towards a road out the window. "Now, you're probably gonna head off that way. Here," she handed Liam some caps. "There. Now you owe me seventy caps."

Liam stared at the fifty caps in his hand. "You're just giving this to me?"

"What? No. I'm loaning it to you," she responded, "I'm expecting it back," she lowered her hand to her holster. "You ain't gonna run off with it, are you?"

Liam gulped. "No, ma'am."

"All right, then," she responded, "Now, you should probably get moving if you wanna catch this guy you're looking for."

Liam nodded, and slowly stood up. The woman tossed him his jumpsuit. He slid his legs into the pant legs and pulled the rest of it up.

"Hey," he asked, "where's my gun?"

"Next to where your suit was. There's no more ammo in it, you better be careful out there."

Liam grabbed his gun, and headed for the door.

"Wait," she called after him. Liam turned, and she held out a bottle of water. "Here you go. It's almost a day's walk to get to Megaton."

"Thanks, uh…"

"Call me Silver."

"Thank you, Miss Silver."

"_Just_ Silver."

"Uh, right. Thank you, Silver."

Liam took a drink from the water, and spat it out. "Ugh… What the…?"

"It's irradiated," Silver told him, "Purified is hard to come by out here. That's another ten caps, by the way."

"Hey, now-"

"Don't come back until you have my caps," Silver said, closing the door on Liam.

As the door slammed shut, Liam turned towards the road Silver had pointed at, and began walking.

"Megaton…," he said to himself, "Dad… I'm gonna find you."

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><p><em>I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting. I've been out of college nearly two months and this is all I've got for you. I'm sorry to make you all wait. It's just, once I stopped, it took forever for me to get back into the groove of things.<em>

_I'm going to try and get back on top of things, and I'm going to try and update more. However, summer classes start June 4__th__. I won't be as busy as I was, but I can't guarantee frequent updates. I'll try, though._


	4. Welcome to Megaton

**_I do not, repeat: DO NOT, own the rights to Fallout 3 or any other part of the Fallout series. At all._**

**_Please review, thank you._**

* * *

><p>Dirt and gravel kicked up into the air. Dust spread around the running figure.<p>

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Liam yelled, running away from a group of giant ants. His weapon was out of ammo, and he wasn't about to try and fight those things with his fists. He ran across the barren landscape, trying as hard as he could to get away from the bugs. And they weren't giving up the chase. He just couldn't run fast enough to lose them. He had been at this for nearly an hour, and the heat was getting to him. He was losing energy, and he was losing it fast. He ran up a slope, and saw a large, rusted metal wall rising out of the wasteland.

A turbine near the top of the wall began turning, and the wall opened. From inside, a small group people had come out, and were approaching another group with a pack animal. Liam ran towards them, the ants still chasing him.

"Hey!" one of them noticed Liam, "Who the hell is that?"

The group turned and saw Liam. Then, they saw the ants.

"Son of a bitch."

The people drew their weapons, save for a few who stood back. They began opening fire, bullets whizzing past Liam. Some hit the dirt, bringing up small clouds of dust. Others hit the ants, some so powerful, that the wounded area would burst open. But the remaining ants continued their pursuit.

Liam ran further, wishing he still had his bullets. The bullets still flew past him, but seemed to be missing the few ants that were left. When hit the ground right at his feet, and stumbled and fell. The ants were closing in on him.

Suddenly, a gloved hand grabbed him by his wounded arm. Liam grunted in pain, before the hand pulled him in.

"Stay down!" ordered a deep, smooth voice. Liam looked up and saw a tall, black, bearded man in a dirty, brownish-green duster and grey cowboy hat. He fired multiple shots over Liam's head, causing the vault guard to fall back to the floor, hands over his head.

After the bullets stopped flying and the casings stopped falling, Liam looked up. The cowboy reached his hand down to help Liam up. The boy accepted, and took hold. He pulled Liam to his feet, and looked him in the eye.

"What the hell is wrong with you, boy?" he asked, "Bringin' ants to MY town?"

"I-I was just-," Liam tried to explain, when suddenly, one last ant jumped out at them, causing Liam to jump back. It was about attack Liam when a loud bang rang out through the air, and the ant's head burst. The rest of it fell to the ground.

"Nice shot, Stockholm!" the black man called to a sniper up on top of the wall. He turned back to Liam, "Now, you mind tellin' me… Well, I'll be damned. You're from that vault! Vault 101!"

Liam lifted himself off the ground, and dusted himself off. "Yeah," he began, "My name's Liam Walker."

The man put his arm around Liam's shoulder and dragged him along as they walked. "Well, Liam," said the man, the giant doors opening up again "Welcome to Megaton."

Pieces of metal made up the walls all around town. A few empty guard towers were positioned in places around the city. Every building seemed to be makeshift; put together out of scrap and spare parts. Pipes ran along the ground and up the sides of buildings, presumably to circulate their water supply. It was a shantytown, but it looked sturdy enough. It was nothing like Liam had ever seen before, that much was sure.

"This is Megaton?" Liam asked.

"Yep," the man replied, "Name's Lucas Simms. I'm the town's sheriff. And mayor, when need arises."

"So, you're in charge?"

"You could say that," Lucas replied. He and Liam began walking down the hill towards the center of town. "You need info on town? You need to see either me or Manya. She lives up on the west side of town. You need to be patched up? Doc Church runs a clinic near the center of town. Need food? The Brass Lantern is right next door. Supplies? Moira Brown runs Craterside Supply. Care to guess where that's at?" Lucas let out a small chuckle. He continued, "Need a place to stay-,"

"I appreciate the tour, but I don't plan on staying. I'm looking for someone. Middle-aged, grey hair, beard? Wearing a vault suit?"

"Sorry," Lucas crossed his arms, "I'm too busy to keep track of every last person to come into town."

"But… this_ is_ Megaton… right?"

"Yeah, it is. Look, your best bet would be to check around Moriarty's Saloon. North end of town," he said, then looked Liam in the eyes, "But for the love of all that's holy, _don't_ trust Moriarty. No matter what he says, that man is _not_ your friend."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for your help," Liam said, heading off towards the saloon. As he headed towards the center of town, he stopped dead in his tracks. He just stood there, awestruck.

"Oh, right," Lucas' voice came, "that's 'Atom.'"

"You built your town around a NUCLEAR BOMB?" Liam asked in disbelief.

"'The Church of Atom' makes up a lot of this town's population. They wouldn't have helped build this place if we didn't put their 'god' at the center of it."

"You're gonna-,"

"Quiet down, kid," Lucas seized Liam by his bad arm.

"Aagh!" Liam grunted, "I'd appreciate it if you stopped grabbing that arm. It's kinda hurt right now."

"Oh, sorry," Lucas let go, "but don't go nosin' around that bomb, you hear me? Those crazies from the Church are liable to kill you. I don't want any trouble in this town, you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good," Lucas turned to walk away.

Liam couldn't believe it. Who in the hell would build a town around an atomic bomb? Who would _worship_ an atomic bomb? Did the war screw up the people outside so badly? He shook it from his mind. He had to find his dad.

* * *

><p>He entered the saloon. The place smelled like the smoking area in the vault, and of old alcohol. It was a dank, place. Nobody seemed to want to do anything other than drink. No conversation. Not even passing glances.<p>

The bartender had his back turned to the door, and he was hitting a radio. "Come on!" he said in a raspy voice, "Work! Work, dammit! Piece a' shit radio."

"Give it a rest, Gob," said the woman next to him.

She was in a denim jacket that revealed a generous amount of cleavage, and had thin, black leggings that were very form-fitting. Her red hair was short, and somewhat messy. The kind of woman that men lusted after.

"It's not the radio," she continued, "GNR's signal has been shit lately. The Enclave station comes in fine."

The bartender, apparently named Gob, ignored her and continued to beat the radio. "Work, dammit!" he continued muttering. The woman walked away. Liam approached the counter and sat down. The bartender turned and faced him.

Liam yelped and fell out of his chair. The bartender's face was a sickly color, and it looked it was rotting. His arms were similarly scarred. What little skin remained was falling off, being eaten away. "What's the matter?" Gob growled, "Never seen a ghoul before?"

"…Not really…," Liam said, bewilderedly, "I'm kinda… from a vault." Liam pointed to the number stitched onto the collar of his suit.

"Gob!" called a strongly-accented voice, "what the hell is going on out here?" Out came a tan-skinned man with somewhat long, greyish hair, and a small, but scraggly beard. He wore a black, leather vest over a dirty, white shirt. He hit Gob over the head with his fist, "I told ya not to mess with the customers, you filthy zombie!" He turned to Liam, who was sitting back in his chair, and said, "Sorry about Gob. Damned zombie's too stupid to know how to act in front of people. Colin Moriarty at your service. What can I do for you?"

Lucas had said not to trust this man, but Liam had no real reason to distrust Moriarty. He decided to ask, "My name's Liam. I'm looking for my father, James."

"My word, lad," Moriarty smiled, "It's you! I haven't seen you in years!"

"What?"

"Aye, you were a wee baby last I saw you!" Moriarty sat down next to Liam and continued, "Your father brought you here about twenty years ago! Along with some girl named Cross. Then, he just up and left with ya. Disappeared."

"That… that can't be right," Liam said, confused.

"That right?"

"My… my dad and I were born and raised in Vault 101. Been there all our lives."

"Ha!" Moriarty laughed, "Oh, your dad was telling the truth! You vault-types _are_ all brainwashed! 'No one ever enters! No one ever leaves! All hail the Overseer!' Ha! I got news for ya, kid. You weren't born in a vault. Your dad sure as hell wasn't raised in one."

"But… dad said-"

"Oh, the lies we tell our loved ones. 'We were born in the vault, son!' 'There's no one outside, son!' You poor sap. But, I don't really care if you believe me. What's the truth is the truth."

"That doesn't matter now," Liam said, "I need to ask you something."

"Information is a commodity, kid," Moriarty stood up, "And commodities cost caps."

"How much?"

"One hundred."

"One hundred? that's almost all I got!"

"Tough break, kid. One hundred caps."

"I can't afford to pay you that!"

"I'll tell you what," Moriarty brought his hand to his chin, "You saw Nova earlier, right?" He pointed to the red haired woman who was speaking to Gob earlier. "Well, we used to have another whore in here. Bitch named Silver. Ended up stealing money from me and ran away. Last I heard, she was in Springvale. Dumb bitch is too stupid to get farther away from town. I'd go take care of her meself, but I'm a busy man. So, you get down there, kill the bitch, and get the money from her, I'll tell you. Hell, I'll even take off fifty caps to get rid of her."

"You want me to _kill_ someone?"

"I said that, didn't I?" Moriarty turned to head back into his office, "Don't come back 'til you've got the caps."

* * *

><p><em><strong>IT IS FINISHED! YOUR LONG WAIT HAS ENDED!<strong>_

_**Yes, I'm aware that the people in the Church of Atom were actually very peaceful in-game (unless you provoked them, which is what I'm doing here, I'm just being more vocal about it), but shut up. THIS IS MY STORY! MINE! HISSSSSSSSS.**_

_**It was pretty hard for me to start this, but once it got rolling, it got ROLLING!**_

_**I'm kind of pleased with how it turned out. But my opinion doesn't matter. YOURS does.**_

_**Tell me, what did you think? Was it good? Was it bad? How was it good? How was it bad? What can I do to improve?**_

_**Thank you.**_

_**On last thing: I know I haven't done much work on Restoration. It's supposed to be Purification's counterpart, and it's still only a chapter long. It's just easier for me to write for Purification, I'm sorry to say. Besides, they're going to be so similar for a while, I may as well just be typing two of the same story for now. I'll update it when I get ideas. Sorry.**_


	5. The Homefront

_**I do not own the rights to any part of the Fallout series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

><p>Burn marks charred parts of the walls. Loose hanging wires let out loud sparks. Doors were jammed open. Tables, chairs, furniture, and decorations had been knocked to the floor. The metal plating around the halls and rooms, while still mostly sturdy and in place, were looking bad. People's living quarters were trashed. Offices and rooms had been turned upside down in the chaos.<p>

The dead who had not yet been cremated were being prepared for it. Survivors were working on fixing the messes, and repairing the damage.

A tall, menacing figure roamed the corridors, limping around with a cane. With his good leg, Vault 101 Overseer, Alphonse Almodovar, squashed the remains of a radroach, sending what was left of its innard bursting out.

The bugs had gotten into the wiring and generators. They nipped and clawed until they did so much damage, fires started. The ones that weren't destroying the Vault went after its residents. It took forever to finally kill the roaches off. Not until a whole day after the Walkers fled the Vault did they manage to get rid of them.

The Overseer wasn't happy, not that he ever was. But this had angered him severely. The air around him, while it had never been what one would call pleasant, now felt dangerous; as though he would strike anyone who came too close. And very few in the vault doubted he would do it.

Almodovar walked down the steel hallways, passing Stanley Armstrong and several other mechanics working on repairing the wiring and metal plating. Chief Hannon was overseeing them, a look of rage burn onto his face. He had lost his wife and son in the chaos, and was perhaps one of the only men more dangerous than the Overseer. He beat his nightstick in the palm of his own hand, just waiting for an excuse to hit someone over the head with it. He was angry, and he didn't care who he needed to hurt.

"Mr. Armstrong. Chief Hannon," the Overseer addressed them both, "How go the repairs?"

"Well, sir-," Stanley began, but Hannon cut him off.

"Not fast enough," he growled, "Maybe if I was given a little more freedom-"

"Ah-ah," came a menacing voice. A slender, pale hand rested on Hannon's shoulder. Sergeant Wilkins continued, "We gotta control ourselves, Chief. Right, Overseer?"

The Overseer's eyes narrowed. He didn't answer Wilkins. Instead, he turned back to Stanley, and said, "Carry on, Mr. Armstrong. Chief Hannon, you're off duty. Sergeant Wilkins, take his place."

Hannon stormed off, as Wilkins chuckled to himself, obviously happy he was going to get to bully the mechanics. The Overseer limped away, his fist tightening around his cane.

"Dad!" called Amata's voice, "Dad!"

The Overseer turned around, a look of weariness adorned his face. "Amata, I'm busy!" he said, not wanting to deal with her, "Go bother someone else."

"No!" she said, authoritatively, "I've been trying to talk to you for two days now, and you keep getting away! I need answers, and I need them now!"

"Then ask!"

She regained her composure, brought her hand to the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, and sighed, thinking of what to ask. "I heard you talking with Liam before Wilkins knocked me out. What did you tell him?"

The Overseer glared. He knew this was coming. That's why he had been avoiding her.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What did you tell Liam?"

"It doesn't matter now."

"It matters to me! What did you say?"

"That's between me and that worthless son of a bitch."

"That 'worthless son of a bitch' is ten times the man you'll ever be!"

Alphonse raised his hand, and swiftly brought it across Amata's face. "I will not be spoken to in such a way. Especially not by my own daughter! You get away from me. And forget about that bastard."

"I love that 'bastard!'"

Alphonse flinched. He did not want to hear that. "Why?" he shot back, "Why? What had he done to deserve your love?" Amata opened her mouth to speak, but Alphonse kept shouting, "He didn't deserve you! He didn't deserve to even live amongst us! All he and his father deserve is to die out there in the wastes!" He calmed himself, and turned away. "Forget about Walker. He won't be coming back."

Susie Kendall, Amata's longtime friend, ran to her side.

"That bastard…," Amata said, looking down.

"He's just trying to keep the Vault safe, Amata," Susie tried to explain.

"No," Amata stated sternly, "This isn't about keeping us safe. He's doing this because he's lost control."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yeah, yeah, this didn't focus on Liam.<strong>_

_**Hey, it's not like everything in the Vault suddenly went to hell as soon as Amata called you. Stuff had to happen. This is that stuff. Some of it, anyway.**_

_**So, what did you think? Good? Bad? How so? What can I do?**_

_**Sorry it's so short, but if I tried to make it longer, it'd just be filler.**_

_**Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed it.**_


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